Pages

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Now comes Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Ind.-Connecticut), who has introduced the dream act for neoconservatives. As reported by Kevin Poulson in the Wired magazine Threat Level blog, Sen. Lieberman has put into the hopper a bill he calls the "SHIELD Act," which would make it a criminal offense

to publish information “concerning the identity of a classified source or informant of an element of the intelligence community of the United States,” or “concerning the human intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government” if such publication is prejudicial to U.S. interests.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Wrong. Mr. Poulson writes:

Lieberman’s proposed solution to WikiLeaks could have implications for journalists reporting on some of the more unsavory practices of the intelligence community. For example, former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was once a paid CIA asset. Would reporting that now be a crime?

For how long does this prohibition extend. Forever?

The proposed legislation, fortunately, does not affect Julian Assange, because the U.S. Constitution prohibits ex post facto laws (those which would prosecute an act that took place before the legislation was passed).

No comments:

Now available!

A new book by Harold D. Thomas:

Governing Ourselves: How Americans Can Restore Their Freedom

Have you ever wondered what real freedom is like? Governing Ourselves paints a picture of what a free society would look like in the 21st century, explains its theory in everyday English, and suggests how we can get there.

Price is $14.95 for the paperback book, $8.95 for the e-book. Available online from the publisher, Book Locker, and from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Books a Million.

Ohio Republic RSS Feeds

Facebook Badge

Triggers to Ohio Independence

If the federal government takes any of the following actions (referred to in my posts as "triggers"), the State of Ohio would be fully justified in asserting its independence, following the reasoning used by the Founding Fathers in 1776:

Replacement [or suspension] of the U.S. Constitution, or any amendment thereto that reduces the rights enumerated in the first ten amendments (Bill of Rights).

Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within any state without the consent of the legislature of that state;

Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a military draft, for anyone of any age, except in punishment of crime (13th Amendment).

Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to a corporation or a foreign government.

Federal Reserve Bank policy that induces a hyperinflation (a depreciation of the U.S. dollar at an annual rate of 20% or more).